Nigeria gets $11m grant from Japan

The Japanese government has granted Nigeria 1.3 billion Yen (about $11million) to improve electricity supply in the country. The grant is coming through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Mr. Sadanobu Kusaoke, Japan Ambassador to Nigeria, said the grant was meant to improve electricity supply facilities in Abuja and its environs. Kusaoke explained that the power sector had been one of the priority areas in Japan’s development assistance to Nigeria.

According to him, since the 1970s, Japan has been helping to strengthen the capacity of Kainji Hydro Power Station to boost power supply in Nigeria. He also said that his country had always partnered Nigeria to electrify its rural areas, especially in the northern part of the country.

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“Power sector is key to improve the quality of life for people and also to promote industry and it will make Abuja more attractive for investors as well as residents. Power is one of the determinant factors when both domestic and foreign investors decide whether or not to invest in a country,” he said.

According to the ambassador, Japan will assist Nigeria to prevent voltage drop, reduce power loss and stabilise power supply to approximately 7, 000 households in Abuja and Nasarawa State.